19 Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. 20 But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. 21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ac 11:19–21.
The Book of Acts starts its focus on Jerusalem for an obvious reason being that Joel 2:28 was fulfilled there, with the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit coming upon the Church, however the writer of Acts, Luke the historian, sees a transition between the first chapters where God’s spiritual activity centred around Jerusalem, is now transitioning to Antioch. It is the influence of the Antioch Church that starts the missions to the Gentiles with the Gospel, whilst Peter’s own apostleship centres in Jerusalem we see God raise up Paul and Barnabas from Antioch. I was still in Portugal when God brought me into a detailed study into the Antioch church, and I saw it at the time as being a model for modern missions. However there is in terms of a visitation important aspects that we need to see.
A Church that transitions together matures together
The thing I noticed is we do not see any mention of leading elders, or apostles, what we see is a corporate growing up together. I am not saying that leadership of some sort here is wrong, or not necessary, I am saying that within what Luke relates, leadership does not seem to be the focus of what the Spirit is doing in this Church. What is the focus is corporate transition. That is the members of Antioch church transitioned from one level of maturity together. This level of maturity is not about the in words we have today, like “vision” “mission statement”. No, what God introduced through maturing gifted ministry were different levels of learning, from the evangelistic, discipleship teaching, pastoring, then prophets descended to Antioch, then social and aid work was instituted because God spoke of a famine that was coming. From here aid was sent to Jerusalem to help them in the sore times ahead. We then see a strong Church form, then in Acts 13, prophets and teachers understood that as elders they needed to have a special season of prayer, where apostolic mission was born through Paul and Barnabas. We see the Holy Spirit speak to separate them out and send them out. This was yet a powerful visitation of God because what results is 20 centuries of missionary and evangelistic work which covers the whole earth. Yet the changes that came to Antioch were not man made, nor were they the whims of a leader, or elders, or priests. The Holy Spirit Himself orchestrated the flow and transition between different levels of ministry which had one aim, maturity. It was not to further denominational slants, biases, politics. I think we really need to examine the Antioch model of church that is flowing towards impacting the known world. We need to examine this as more and more denominations lose sight of what “Ecclesia” really means, and embrace new trends, new philosophies, and embrace practices that are outlawed by the Word, yet for expediency are respectfully accepted.
The fact the Church was on the back foot, whilst prophetic voices saw the potential for the pandemic to be used as a trojan horse for other more sinister politics that have brought in several quarters throughout the world, we are seeing what was for the “common good” now flowing into the suppression of expression of protest, preservation of basic freedoms. Whether this is by design, or as a result of some sort of collective paranoia will one day be seen clearly. The Church needs to come back to the Antioch model because that way the things that are happening here to limit the Church, limit the Gospel in society will be met with a Church endued with power. Its not about denominational faithfulness, nor whose theology is correct, its about facing Christ and preaching Him. It is the maturity of Antioch that gives and endorses the ministry of the Apostle Paul, opening new avenues of Christ’s vision of His person in many many places. When you see the letters of Apostle John to the 7 Churches, in each Church you see an aspect of Jesus revealed. You don’t see Ephesus being say the “Church of cell groups,” or “Philadelphia” the Church of Love. What you see replicated is a facet of Jesus, and the whole network of Churches, with access to the five ascension ministry gifts strengthen the expression of Jesus in each Church.
Antioch: where the prophetic is practical
Prophets descended on the Church, and for a season it must have been a wonderful season. However we must note what level the saints were when the prophets arrived. They were already grounded, so they knew that what the prophets came to do was not do conferences, they were to open the ears of the saints to the Voice of God! There were no prophetic lines, no queueing for prophetic words, rather each saint was trained to hear God for himself. What came out is resembling Joseph and the interpretation of Pharoah’s dream, revealing it when he had forgotten it. God revealed a famine, not just a famine, but practically gave strategy. Antioch became a GIVING CHURCH. The prophetic word became strategy, a practical initiative that saved lives. I am sure with the discreditation of the prophets with political prophetic words, God is winnowing and cleaning it all out, because the prophetic must alert us to dangers, alert us to practically outreach to communities. Our practical outworking bringing Christ into action with people.
So how do we transport this to today? I believe we are on the threshold of the last harvest of Gentiles, and the transition to God revealing Jesus to His own. Zechariah 12:10. In this last Gentile Harvest Satan knows his time is short, which means he is going to agitate the nations in the following ways: financially, war, food shortages, famines, climate extremes. Civil unrests, government persecuting the Church. We are seeing so called democratic countries being now the great enemies of freedom and the Church. The prophetic must warn, but must bring wisdom, that is inspire the Church to be a practical force as well as a spiritual force.
How Antioch transitions to Ephesus
When you read Paul’s letter to the Church of Ephesus, you see pinnacle of the revelation of Jesus Christ. When you consider that Paul, and his letters form a great part of the New Testament, we see the root in Antioch, and now we see the fruit in Ephesus. In many of the retreats I have conducted, many times I have exhorted the importance that the root determines the fruit. The root of Antioch in contrast to the fruit shows a close order and keeping in step with the Holy Spirit in the Church. How we see this in Acts is demonstrated in the words of the Apostle Peter in Acts 3:19-21, where he affirms that the Father would send Jesus TO them in the person of the Holy Spirit, in that from the right hand position of the Ascended Lord, He supervises the transitions of the Church throughout all ages. It is incumbent on Jesus bringing the full manifestation of the Kingdom, incumbent on the Father to establish “His King” on His Holy Hill, (Psalm 2), and incumbent on the Holy Spirit to perfect the Church so she is ready to full union with Christ in eternity. So Antioch represents this model in its outworking, and all churches founded on their “sowing” of the apostolic through Paul reflects on the solidity of Antioch the mother Church of mission, and Jerusalem the mother Church from the Holy Spirit (Acts 2). I am convinced as I am writing this message that as we as a generation return to Antioch as a model and as a intimate change in all of us we will transition into the greatest display of Jesus in the Church greater than the first outpourings of the Spirit.
So as we look to the fruit of Antioch in Ephesus, we see the whole plan of God for sons, for saints, for families, marriages interwoven into the fabric of eternity. We then see a transition from the armour of Justice in Isaiah 59 to the Armour of Righteousness in Ephesians 6, and how we resist the things which would chip away and undermine the rich and deep dimensions of Christ demonstrated in His Church. How we not only resist (1), but we retain (2) until we are received (3) into our eternal abode.
We do not just look to Scripture but also history, that Apostle John took on the leadership of Ephesus, taking with him Mary, the mother of Jesus there. Is it not heartbreaking that the generation that received Paul’s letter, 30 years later, the apostle John saw a failing of generational example, the first generation of believers did not pass on the richness of those first believers, now the form had replaced the face of Christ. Christ through John threatens to remove the Lampstand for the dying ember of love. It is in 431AD that the Council of Ephesus put to rest many theological conflicts prevalent in that age. We must therefore examine Scripture, examine history and take our lessons, because we too can lose our first love. This is why we must learn the momentum, the reasons and lessons of visitations of God.
Concluding words
This message has taken a while to be conceived. It has within it a heart cry of Jesus Himself to us: to return to Antioch, the root of apostolic mission, where the globe and we know Jesus because the Church of Antioch focussed on that which is important. Therefore may we reflect on this, and may our return to Antioch spurn an end time visitation.
Russell
http://thespiritandthebridesaycome.com
Paypal: russelldurose@yahoo.com
The Spirit and the Bride say COME! Come Lord Jesus 
This is a very rich message in terms of knowledge of the historical and spiritual context of the Antioch Church. It’s also very interesting the parallel that you make with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the Pentecost Day with the revival that was happening in the Antioch Church. Unfortunately we are living times that the Leaderships of the majority of our churches lost the purpose that Jesus has for His Church. That’s why it is urgent the restoration of the Apostolic and Prophetic ministries. The Leaderships of nowdays are trying to make huge effort to copie the world structures and strategies used in entreprises and word projects to implement in our churches. We have Leaderships that forgot that the Church belong to the Kingdom of God and isn’t a system of the world. We are seeing a constant implementation of trends in our churches like: the mentory of coachs, instead of a care and discipleship of pastors, fashionable meetings, instead of meetings where is preached the Rhema Word. These Leaderships are filling our churches with superficial and pretentious “christians” and transform our churches in Clubs of high society. Instead of welcoming the poors, the marginalised, the rejected, those who are immersed in the drugs, those who lost their identity, that’s why are hiding themselves in homossexuality, transgenders, etc …we are acting with prejudice . All this is happening because the aim of these Leaderships it’s achieve the high places of the society, using our pulpit like political platforms. We are living a light and permissive Gospel that is no longer worried with the essence of the Word of God/Jesus! Your message led us to understand that in Antioch Church the priority of the Apostles was laying the foundations by ministering a mature and anointed teaching to thevmembers of this church. The Apostle Peter who was used powerfully in Pentecost Day, understood clearly that before to spread the Gospel to the nations, they needed to prepare the Antioch Church through a teaching based in the Rhema Word. Was in accordance with this strategy that the Apostle Paul was sent to preach to the gentiles. Here we can realise that the Apostolic and the Prophetic ministries were aligned with outpouring of the Holy Spirit. We need to learn with the Apostle Peter how he developed the Leadership of Antioch Church. I believe that we need to study deeply the Rhema Word of the letters of the Apostle Paul and we need to have an encounter with Jesus, as the Apostle John had an encounter with Jesus and he was led to the third sky. Through this encounter the Apostle John made us to understand the fullness of the Glory, the Holiness and the Greatness of the King of kings: Jesus. Definitely this message teach us how to fight against the a promiscuous spirituality mixed with political, philosophical, psychological ideas that already corruped the majority of our churches. This message make us to believe that there is not doubt that exists an huge cleavage between the biblical principles and foundations of the Antioch Church and the Leaderships of our Churches. Russell, when I was reading your message I felt strongly that while you were preparing this message you had an encounter with God. I believe that He is leading you to a next level of your prophetic ministry. Amen?!
This series “Lessons from Visitations” is very much taking a new approach to what you have raised here. I certainly as well as everyone, whether family, whether friends or colleagues have been affected by the pandemic, and much heart searching and much reappraisal from looking beyond the texts and Scriptures, giving a paraphrase, yet not bringing to the table anything new. We all know traditional interpretations, which have certainly not got us very far. I think it was the apostle Paul that developed the leadership along with other teachers and prophets, Acts 13, taking it to the next level. However the 21st century interpretation of leadership has taken precedent over the collective saints. That is we have lifted as the most important above the collective transition that I saw in 2008 when we were in Portugal. That is the whole church learned to outreach with evangelism, learned discipleship through pastoring and teaching, and hearing God through the prophetic. You do not read of any individual here taking precedence, no focus on one person, rather on a group of saints who matured together.
Also the issue you raised here considering alternative lifestyles is a vacuum of understanding of Scripture. You identify, political, psychological and philosophical ideas, 3 p’s, not sure whether you noticed that. They are dangerous when the purpose of preaching and teaching is lost, when the true meaning for this is to present Jesus, the King and Saviour. Nothing else is important.
Regarding how this message was brought about, it was completed today but I have been thinking a lot about this, and yet when you see the panorama of the need, there can be two responses, one being despair, the other being faith. It always comes down to ask God to do what He did with the Apostle John when He invited him to heaven. Revelation 4 relates to this, whilst Revelation 1 says Jesus was revealed on the “Day of the Lord”, and this is the key. Your comments in the last 10 years, or 11 since this site has existed has been the only full appraisal of what I have written, because I very often get a silence or I get a one liner comment. I appreciate the time you have taken to examine and reflect on what I have written. This comment must now propel you as it does me to pray and continue to ask God to see Antioch as much as being relevant today as it was 2000 years ago. Really appreciate this comment.